Cheney’s in Hawk Heaven

Published 9:00 pm Monday, August 7, 2006

CHENEY – Paul Schmidt, city administrator for the City of Cheney, recalls the early days when a few unnamed Seahawks cruised the downtown area at night to let off some steam.

The next day, Cheney residents would drive to work, noticing that somehow, someone bent a few steel street signs to the ground.

Considering what the Seahawks meant to the Cheney economy in their annual 31/2-week training camp, Schmidt could live with replacing a few signs. Schmidt’s estimate: Each year, the team and those watching training camp spent $1 million by the time they left. This year, coming off Super Bowl XL, the crowds are even bigger and will spend even more.

But it all will be history starting the 2008 season, when the Seahawks move into their sparkling new, state-of-the-art training facility in Renton.

“It’s been a great run,” Schmidt said. “If they wanted to stay, I’d be glad to throw in a few more street signs. Replacing them would not be a problem.”

The Seahawks, Cheney and Eastern Washington University formed a tradition. The Hawks’ first 10 training camps were at EWU. When the Kirkland facility opened, the team trained there from 1986 to 1996. Dennis Erickson brought the team back to Cheney in 1997, where it has stayed.

That ends after the 2007 training camp.

EWU directly benefited from the relationship. This year, the Seahawks paid the university $340,000 for food, lodging and use of the school’s practice fields. They have signed for 2007, with an option for one more year should construction of the new facility run into problems. Then they’re gone.

“We’re disappointed,” said Ron Sperber, chief liaison between the university and the Seahawks. “It’s been a great relationship. Mike Holmgren loves it here. He wants a new facility. That’s what the trend is for NFL teams. Even though he loves it here, he’s going to love it also when he gets his new facility.”

It’s been a two-way lovefest.

If you needed any proof of how revered the Seahawks are in the region, note that they drew 10,000 fans for a scrimmage in a stadium whose capacity is listed at 8,600.

People came to the scrimmage from Idaho, Oregon, Montana and western Canada, among other regions. What impact does a Super Bowl appearance have? Last year’s event attracted about 3,500.

“It was a great thing for the Inland Empire,” Sperber said. “We had ‘em coming in from all over.”

Just hang around the entrance/exit area and you’ll meet more people than you would in church. Mostly dressed in Seahawk blue, hundreds of fans unashamedly beg for their heroes to pose with them for photos and sign every scrap of paper, every program, every magazine and every body part.

“I think I got everybody now,” said Chad Smith, 10, of Spokane, holding up a list of signatures.

Eastern and Cheney have enjoyed being identified as the home of Seahawks training camps. Sperber says it has helped recruiting for Eastern’s sports teams.

But the 200,000-square foot practice facility in Renton is an undeniable jewel. The facility, privately funded, will be the second largest of its kind in the NFL.

The new digs will allow up to 3,000 spectators to watch preseason practice.

EWU can’t hope to expect to compete with the new facility’s four outdoor practice fields, 50,000 square feet of training space, 15,000 square feet of player meeting room space, and 48,000 feet of administrative office space. And no longer will the team foot the bill and trudge through the inconvenience to move tons of equipment east of the mountains and back.

“It’s gonna be beautiful,” Sperber said of the new facility. “Right on the waterfront of Lake Washington. Gee whiz, what can you ask for?”

Even so, the Seahawks will be missed. Just as things were getting really, really good, the team decided to pull up stakes. Benefiting from a Super Bowl year, Sperber estimated that daily crowds have tripled over last year. And if the Seahawks even come close to their high expectations for this season, Cheney’s swan song could be sweet indeed.

“We’ll miss them,” said Spokane fan John Spivey, who has brought his family to preseason practices since 1997. “It’s such a great chance to get close to the players and talk to them, get an autograph. They’ve been great. We’ll enjoy this year and next year and then decide what we want to do.”

Imagine. Renton: Vacation Mecca.